Blog + Video

It’s Lyme disease awareness month and I’m sharing everything you need to know to heal. So far I’ve covered the basics of Lyme disease , testing and diagnosis , and the methods I use to treat Lyme disease .

This blog post is a little different from the others. Instead of giving you more medical information, I want to talk to you about why emotional healing is essential for Lyme recovery.

While the emotions and energetics aren’t typically addressed in more conventional treatments, I think it’s essential if you truly want to heal from Lyme disease or any other chronic illness.

A Lyme disease diagnosis can be devastating since the journey from diagnosis to treatment is often long and complicated. Many times, when patients are diagnosed with Lyme disease, they’ve already been struggling and suffering for several years. They’ve seen doctor after doctor with no significant change in their symptoms. It is disheartening and many times, the patients I see with Lyme disease are not in the best place emotionally (understandably so).

For this reason, one of the most important components in healing Lyme disease is to have emotional support – friends, family, or a community of people that will help you get through this lengthy and complicated process – no matter how long it takes.

It’s also important to be aware of your thoughts as you move toward healing, especially when it comes to your identity. It’s common to want to identify with your disease, but I encourage you not to let it define you.

Instead of referring to yourself as a Lyme patient, say “I have Lyme disease“. Consciously separate yourself from the disease.

It’s difficult to do, but instead of letting the disease own you, remember your power. Remember who you are and who you were before this disease. Try to find the silver lining. Often there are gifts where we least expect them. What can having this diagnosis teach you? Are there any gifts or lessons hidden in your diagnosis?

What if you can’t find the gifts or lessons? What if it’s feeling altogether too hard, too frustrating? Try starting with gratitude.

Practice gratitude daily. This could look like writing 5 things you’re grateful for in a journal each morning. It could look like you standing in front of a mirror and recounting all the ways you showed up for yourself that day. There are even gratitude apps. Gratitude is a key step in emotional healing (as well as physical healing).

Find gratitude for the things you are able to do and experience throughout your healing journey. With gratitude comes acceptance. Knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can heal from Lyme disease, can actually help your body heal. While difficult, it’s ok to let go of the fear associated with this diagnosis.

If you are in a constant state of fear and negativity, it is much harder for the body to function optimally and heal from chronic disease.

Additionally, I often find that patients living with Lyme disease have unresolved trauma. They’ve repressed emotions, like anger, frustration, and sadness. This trauma and repressed emotion can, over time, weaken the immune system, making it difficult to heal.

To help release some of the fear and resolve past trauma, I recommend seeking support in the form of energetic healing. Therapies such as acupuncture, EMDR, and EFT can be beneficial in helping you release emotional distress, past and present. There is also a 10-week self-guided program called “The Presence Process” that can help you integrate past trauma and clear negative energy, creating more space for wellness, joy, and balance.

Addressing these emotional issues is just as important as getting the proper tests and taking the herbs and supplements that are prescribed. Complete Lyme recovery comes from addressing the emotional and energetic aspects of yourself as well as the disease.

In the words of Carolyn Myss:

“When an illness is a part of your spiritual journey, no medical intervention can heal you until your spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire.”

(from the book Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can)

Look at your diagnosis as a time for spiritual and emotional growth; an opportunity to look within and create significant changes in your life. In times of illness and disease, the body is calling out for attention. Slow down and listen; find the deeper meaning.

xo,